Consumer Reports: Don't Spray Sunscreens on Children

7/10/2014 1:11PM

Parents are being warned to stop using spray sunscreens on children following an FDA investigation into potential inhalation risks. Consumer Reports health editor Trisha Calvo explains on Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero. Photo: iStock/firemanYU

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... sell any parents rely on the ease of spray sunscreen is to make sure their fate city or clean phobic children are protected from the side ... but now consumer reports is saying stop the spray at least for now ... while the FDA conducts an investigation into the potential risks of spray sunscreen is here to tell us more is Tricia cabo ... Consumer Reports health editor ... I can't thank so much for being with us by Mario Sunshine so what are the concerns of the FDA on thirteen real concerns the first one is ... the effectiveness of the contact ... because when you spray sunscreen I knew not sure whether or not you're getting good coverage ... and then the second concern is the risk of inhalation ... so we will spray sunscreens are the only type a sunscreen not yet regulated by the FDA yet they've been on the market for quite awhile now why is the FDA ... been dragging its feet here well it's not that they're not regulated than me maybe they contain the same active ingredient in motion but with the FDA is doing and what that what the FDA is concerned about what consumer reports is committed Kamin concerned about for awhile ... are these two factors whether are you getting is good coverage with ... of of spray sunscreen ... because you know when you spray them some of them go all in a cloud ... you can really tell how much you're applying ... and then the risk of inhalation it can cause lung irritation and then there's some potential concern ... that there could be cancer risk involved with inhaling those spaces well ... so the FDA is looking at it for a while and they told us died just a few months ago ... that they had received some new information in that they were looking into and evaluating ... what you expect for them to have made in a valuation that day didn't have a timeline of ... right now ... as of the Consumer Reports you've done so test yourself on the phrase in terms of effectiveness or what have you found ... well first thing is that that was friends applied correctly from some protection perspective ... they can be really affected if you're using the right amount ... if you're sure that it's getting your covering all of your scanned ... they can direct credit that given some space came out at the top of her ratings this year ... um but we also tested the spray pattern ... was so some sprays are very whiny ... and you think oh that's great for covering your back but that also means that a lot of that disperse is into the air in and in some states have a more narrow ... the spray pattern which means they don't disperse into the air but the new year you don't know whether or not you're getting the get good coverage on for all parts of your scans all very tricky so what happens if you're out a sign that no other available sunscreen and a spray ... is there a way of applying if they can minimize the potential risks absolutely don'ts for your face ... spray it into your hand and then rub it into your body ... write to us thank you so much of that great information ...